[note: this is more that a year delayed in posting.] To my niece: So excited. Just picked up your revitalized Wicked! souvenir volume. It's beautiful. Am sure you thought, "It's never coming home." Long story: took it to Strand & B&N for consult. No recommendations. Stopped into several stationary stores for suggestions. None. Frustrated. Bought special glue. Nah! Relegated it to my chair of honor & went to Google. Found only mail-aways and other nonstarters. Walked away. Asked acquaintances...nada. Then, a couple of weeks ago took up challenge again. Back to Google. Nothing. Then!! stumbled on wonderful reviews of fellow right here in the East Village. Henry-- on Henry St. just down Ave A. Called. Went down. What an interesting place. Henry reminded me of a Xmas elf in a way: he's of small stature...not quite an elf, but certainly could play the part. He was wearing short blue-jean cutoffs with black tights covering his thin legs. Delightful! He gushed over the book. Said: "You can't buy this anymore." Went through the pages and remarked how gorgeous the color images are. Then he pondered how to repair and shared his thoughts out-loud. Assured me he would do a wonderful job as it is such a beautiful book. ...and, he DID a wonderful job !! Again, he gushed over it this morning when I picked it up. Started to wrap it up & when I indicated I could take it in my carryall, he said I needed to also take it in the protective paper. It was my turn to gush & I declared him an artist. He modestly asked if I would give him a good review. It took me way too long to write this, but here it is: "Henry" is a wonder. read more

I made a book of the letters my fiancée and I had written to each other when we were young and I wanted to give it to her as a wedding present. I had been searching every day for over a week for a place that could give my custom-printed one-off book a nice, classic-looking hard cover binding. The copy centers don't do it, and the big commercial book printing/binding companies only do it in orders of a hundred copies or more. When I stumbled upon Henry Bookbinding, I couldn't believe my luck. No, there is no website for the place, and it is run by just one guy who does all of the binding himself. I called the number provided here on Yelp and asked him if he could bind my book for me. He said yes and to come on over and we would go over the details together. So I did, and we picked out the the cover material, talked about colors, types of binding, how the pages would be sewn together, what the lettering would look like, etc. He was interested to hear the story behind the book and very kind to talk to. His work speaks for itself. I got an incredibly nice hand-bound hardcover book with a gold lettering title in a day's time for a price that was actually so low that I ended up paying him more than he asked for because he absolutely deserved it. I cannot recommend this guy enough. He was a real life saver when I had almost given up hope of finding anyone that does what he does! read more

If you are an individual binding a book you care deeply about, Henry is your man. He is incredibly humble, easy to work with, and masterful at his craft. When I met Henry, I was under a super tight deadline---needed something within 24 hours. The book I was making was thick and photo heavy -- full spreads of scanned notes and images. It was important that the book open as flat as possible so the spreads could be viewed with out getting lost in the binding [of a perfect bound book]. This is already rare to find in the city ---and to find from such a modest, skillful New Yorker in such a short frame, is amazing. I came to Henry with 130-some pages of silk text paper that Henry then separated/ folded into signatures, cut the pages perfectly, hand stitched and bound with a leather hardcover within the day. He also stamped the title on the front, with some words on the back. The book turned out beautifully - better than I could dreamed of. I highly recommend Henry for whatever your needs are (artists, photographers, illustrators, children's books, one off prints especially). He is professional, quick, kind and affordable -- especially for the high quality work/service you are receiving. Thank you, Henry. read more

Henry did such an amazing, beautiful job on my book! I had a thick student text book that is the best of its kind by far, yet only published in paperback with a worthless glue binding: the pages begin falling out in a matter of days and because it's a thick book, within a week or two it falls into separate pieces. Yet to use it one has to constantly page through it to look things up (I've already had to throw out two previous copies that had completely fallen apart). On top of this, the pages are printed with a very narrow gutter, so I wasn't sure how it could be re-bound without obscuring a bit of text at the inside margin of each page. I had heard great things about Henry, so I bought a new copy of the fragile paperback to see if he could save it from its poor design. To my delight he was able to magically sew the pages into a hardcover binding without losing any of the text on the inner margins - I don't know how he did it! Now this invaluable resource will last me for decades instead of weeks! The cover is beautifully done with gold inlay, and all at a very modest price. As many others have said, Henry is a treasure, and an exemplar of what makes New York a great city! read more

Believe all of the great reviews posted here! I am so thankful to Yelp for directing me to Henry Bookbinding and Mr. Henry Alpert. This review is actually several months late, but tonight I remembered and couldn't let another day go by. I had a wonderful experience bringing vintage and worn books in for some TLC. I wanted to keep the original covers whenever possible, and he worked it out for me. The books, when completed, were perfect...and yes, I was nervous, even after reading all the glowing reviews! Not to worry! I was happy with every single book. I highly recommend Henry Bookbinding and will be back! Things to remember: call before heading over (Mr. Alpert is incredibly kind; just call to make sure he is there before you head out), its cash only (you'll get a quote when you drop off your books), and plan to give him time to work. I happen to have visited during the busy graduation season, when many students needed their final papers bound, but thankfully I had time. And lastly, I am happy to say that Henry Bookbinding had no problem fixing my Bible and no issue whatsoever with my religious (Catholic) books. Mr. Alpert deserves respect for his good example. Thank you! read more

Henry is the absolute real deal. A craftsman. Turned 175 photos not into just a book, but into a unique, elegant piece. Great spirit, passionate about what he does and it comes across in the quality of his work. He gets it; while I stood there silently trying to choose a color for the cover of the book that would be representative of my friend who'd receive it as a gift, as if he were reading my mind Henry intuitively suggested I choose a color that really reminded me of my friend. I needed this done quickly, and he said "no problem" and had it done the same day. And while the end product I wanted posed several challenges, he took a couple of minutes examining my materials and then exclaimed: "Ok. Don´t worry. I know what to do." He made me feel I was in good hands from the get go and completely delivered. By the time I left the shop later that day, I not only left extremely satisfied with my book, but also inspired, wanting to come back to learn about his craft, passion, positive mindset, attention to detail and impeccable customer service. A true jewel of New York. read more

What a treasure this place--and this man!--is. I am a first-time author and, acting on the advice of a more experienced author friend, decided to splurge and have one copy of my book leather-bound. I stopped into the charmingly disordered shop this afternoon around 2, figuring I could price the servicr, maybe drop off the book and have it shipped (I live in Phoenix and am headed home tomorrow!). When I told "Henry" what I wanted, though, he told me he would get it done tonight, even if it meant staying late. Within six hours, he called me to tell me I could pick it up. The leather binding is gorgeous and supple, the embossing is perfect, the marbled end papers and edges are spectacular. He accepts cash for payment and, for what a special keepsake this is to commemorate my accomplishment, I think $300 (keep that turnaround time in mind) is more than fair. This is a good, old-fashioned craftsman. He takes pride in making good and beautiful things. I want to write another book and have him bind it. read more

There's a reason that Henry Bookbinding Company has 3 pages of 5-star reviews! 'Henry' is a true artisan whose work reflects the pride and care that he puts into every piece. He fully restored a family photo album, from the late 1800's, that had totally fallen apart: separate front and back covers , 17 individual pages and no spine. Following the original construction, he used a matching cloth binding on each individual page. So that the book would lie flat when opened, he added an extra page strip to the binding of each page - see photograph. He made a beautiful, ribbed leather spine that matched the book covers and as a final touch he added vintage-design end papers. We didn't set a deadline on the finished book because of the amount of detail required. I expected it could be a month at least. Surprise! He completed the work within just several days, and it is a true work of art. His expertise and artistry is exceeded only by his humility. Thanks 'Henry'! read more

Just GO!!!! I found this business thanks to Yelp's reviews and I was not disappointed!! Some manuals and books are now only available in PDF format and as a Law Student, I am kind old-fashion and prefer the hard copy format in order to study. I was looking a place in Manhattan to bookbind my books and I found Henry. The service is neat, fast and cheap! And Mr. Henry (if it's his name!) is character and a lovely nice man! Don't be surprised by the place like some reviewers said, just see this little business like one of the marvelous hidden things in NYC. The first time I went to Mr. Henry, I assembled my 250-pages book in 48 hours for a very honest price! The man is so nice, I would take my bike from Uptown to Downtown, go there and ask him to assemble me a book even if it is just 10 pages! Since then, I recommend all my friends and classmates from my university to go there, this old man deserves it! Spread the word! And thanks Mr. Henry if you read that! read more

My wife found Henry Bookbinding through Yelp. I have now taken two books in and I could not be happier. The first was a book on public speaking that my grandfather had given me that is long out of print. The book was in extremely poor condition when he gave it to me over 30 years ago. The pages were waterlogged and the binding was taped to hold the pages in. Henry returned to it its glory with a new cover and trimmed the pages so it looks like new. This book is priceless to me and will stay in our family for generations. The second book I took in was an Atlas my father was given as a child in 1949. The pages were completely free of the binding and there were paint spots in the cover. Henry did it again. He restored it to its glory and brought my father to tears. Henry works quickly and at a very reasonable rate. I highly recommend his services to everyone. He is a true craftsman and takes great pride in his work. We are lucky to have found him. read more

I cannot recommend this operation too highly. This is true artisan work from yesteryear. When you step into the shop. You go back at least 100 years. This looks to be a one man operation, the very wonderful Henry, and you feel that there is real pride in the artistry that he has to offer. The end product is stunning work. I had 2 music scores bound, and I am thrilled with the result. When I went to the shop to drop off the scores, Henry showed me round his operation with immense pride. I've had books bound in the UK, Austria, Germany and Italy....... This is the best quality that I have encountered. Not only is the end product fabulous, it was also $125 CHEAPER than the next nearest estimate, for exactly the same product. I had been quoted from $175 to $400. Henry did it for $50 per book. I have been searching for,YEARS for a bookbinders in New that was reasonably priced. I will definitely have the rest of my music library done here. read more

Henry Bookbinding saved two books that belonged to my father who was a photographer. The book from his great friend and mentor Andre Kertesz was personally autographed. It was wrenched out of it's hard cover binding and a rip in the front end paper was very near to the autograph. The second book was a soft cover copy of Family of Man. It was deteriorated and needed a fresh binding to protect it. Both books were 1st editions as well. A mere 2 weeks after I brought my books to the proprietor of Henry Bookbinding his artistry,skill and compassion were revealed in full in the stunning job he carried out with both books. I am forever in his debt: thank you. I'm also posting photos of my books, and a restoration he also had done on an Alexandre Dumas dictionary. Completely amazing. Do yourself a great favor: don't go to anyone else for this area of expertise. It's Henry Bookbinding or no one else. read more

I can only reiterate what others have said; this is a holdover from a time some of us might still remember, when Manhattan had many hidden craftspeople, gems if you knew about them. (Manhattan actually had neighborhoods back then too!) In this case the art of bookbinding seems to have been preserved directly from the European diaspora to present-day Henry street. I had a very precious (to me) but cheaply bound Indian paperback on which the binding had given out. I took it here and the next day it was beautifully and solidly hard bound in leather with gold stamped title on the front and the spine. And not just for show; this is the real deal. The fine work stands up to very close scrutiny. Cost $50. Modern but fair price, traditional skill. The proprietor calls himself Henry after the street and the shop. And just a block from the F train. As my grandma used to say, "What could be bad!?!?" read more

i bought Mr Henry a book to repair that belongs to my tai qi teacher that is very precious to him and he reads it every day.....i was a little bit nervous as to how the book would fare as the cover had come away from the spine...... i did not have to worry .......Mr. Henry did such a beautiful job and repaired the book like new - my teacher is very happy..........and the work was done quickly and very good price! Mr. Henry is such a nice man - i really enjoyed meeting him and speaking with him..........he has done this work all his life - he is so talented and humble........and very nice and cheerful and makes you feel at home...... i recommend bringing any books , papers ,etc that need binding or repairs to Mr. Henry........he will repair them like they were new - he puts all his heart and love into his work.......a very special man! thankyou Mr Henry!! joan read more

Everything about Henry Bookbinding is extraordinary - the man, his work, and the space. He worries about details we wouldn't know to consider, explains clearly in very few words, matches colors, makes decisions on lettering and delivers a beautifully bound book in a short time. In our case he was able to preserve parts of the old cover, for which we are grateful. He is easy and fun to interact with. He showed us his shop and allowed us to look around for a little while. It is crowded with machines, partially bound volumes, stacks of paper, glue, and much much more. There is little space to move around, but I am sure this atmosphere contributes to the perfect outcome. It's hard to imagine that such old-school artisans and this kind of craftsmanship still exist, and in many places they don't. But they do in NYC. I hope Henry Bookbinding stays forever. read more

There was a time in New York City, before the advent of the chain stores, when a walk down the street put you in contact with artists and artisans who produced beautiful things. "Henry" of Henry Bookbinding is such a person. Henry works in the basement of a shul on Henry Street. He binds books and he is masterful at it. He's been in business for many years, and he is an artist. We brought him two old falling apart paperback books with precious notes written in the margins. We needed the books rebound, and we wanted a beautiful leather binding. Henry was quick, he did a great and thorough job, he produced a beautiful two volume set from the ragged books we gave him. It was a most pleasant experience from start to finish. Henry is a very nice man, and we had immediate confidence in him. He worked quickly and his price was extremely fair. See our photos below. read more

I had to get a Master's thesis bound and the guy there did a great job. He already had the specs from the school, followed them precisely, and produced 4 copies in 1 day. Also, when I came in he noticed that my title was too long for the spine, so he suggested I come up with a shorter version. I came up with one and he used it for the spine, using the original for the front. I really appreciated how careful he was to produce a quality product. He also showed me some samples of different shapes and sizes around the office, in case I was interested. One really struck me as beautiful, a small blue book of poetry with an interesting texture, and all the pages connected end to end (something like an accordion). In short, the people here (from my experience) have great attention to detail, and are talented in a variety of binding techniques. read more

I was so happy with the work done at Henry Bookbinding! I dropped off a cookbook that my mother received as a wedding gift almost 40 years ago and has been well used and well loved since. So well loved in fact, that the cover had completely come away from the spine and the pages were left bare and unprotected. Rather than buy a new cookbook and lose the history she has had with it, i took it to Henry Bookbinding based off the other reviews I saw and I am glad I did. Not only was the pricing far lower than the other "boutique bookbinders", he did a wonderful job recovering the book. He trimmed the pages and added a beautiful red cover with gold stamping of the title on the front and spine. I can't wait to give the book back to my mom and see her reaction. I highly recommend this shop!! read more

The owner of Henry Bookbinding Co. did a high-quality, professional job on my treasured copy of "Alice in Wonderland," copyright 1923. I will post some photos to show you how the book went from being in pieces to a newly bound book. It looks like a new book! The front and back covers are perfectly bound, the pages were trimmed, and he even added in an embossed book title on the spine. And he managed to save the cover print and the frontispiece drawings! His price was much lower than other bookbinders I spoke with in the NYC area. He completed the work in less than 2 days. I highly recommend this shop to anyone looking to restore an old book. And the charming shop may bring back memories to those who remember the Lower East Side back in the 1970s. It is a treasure! read more